A ‘just transition’ is defined as ‘a vision-led, unifying and place-based set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy’ by the Climate Justice Alliance. Just transitions take a holistic view of where we are going, as well as how we get there. When thinking of a just transition towards green energy, one of the groups that will be disproportionately affected is Indigenous communities. This is a direct result of a disproportionate dependency on fossil fuels to fuel both energy needs and daily life requirements. Additionally, these communities are also likely to experience the effects of climate change much more than others due to these changes impacting many aspects of their lives. Some of these changes can include loss of land and resources, extreme weather events impacting agriculture, future supply chain issues, and more. As a result of this, it is of paramount importance that for these indigenous communities, we ensure the transition to green energy is a just one.

This is where Melina Laboucan-Massimo saw an opportunity to make a difference. Laboucan-Massimo is Lubicon Cree, from the community of Little Buffalo, located in Alberta, Canada. Little Buffalo is an oil sands region, and as a result, Laboucan-Massimo grew up witnessing firsthand the negative impacts that oil sand development has had on the environment, as well as the development of her Indigenous community. To put into perspective how little the oil sands have done for Indigenous communities, Laboucan-Massimo states in this article with the Nobel Women’s Initiative that since 1978 over $14 billion had been made off of her family’s traditional territory, yet they still don’t have running water. She goes on to say that the more than 2600 oil wells on the land make it impossible to live sustainably, to make matters worse, almost 70% of Lubicon territory has been leased for future development without the consent of the Lubicon people, directly violating their charter rights.

Laboucan-Massimo has been attending protests about this matter since 1988, at the tender age of 7 years old. This first protest was in her Lubicron Cree community of Little Buffalo which held a 6-day protest against oil and gas drilling on their land. While her parents and grandparents were part of the blockade, Laboucan-Massimo watched from the safety of their car, with this experience having a profound impact on her. This protest in 1988 was a whole 34 years ago, yet oil and gas drilling continues on this land, much to its detriment. If the community of Little Buffalo sounds familiar, then you were probably paying attention to the news in 2011. This is because in 2011 the Rainbow Pipeline spill occurred on this land, causing a total of 28,000 barrels of oil to be spilled – the largest oil spill in Alberta in three decades. This spill is still impacting the community to this day, and those responsible for it, Plains Midstream, were only fined a measly $1.3 million two years after the spill. Were those funds used to clean up the area or were they enough to cover the costs of those cleanup efforts? No and no. After this spill, Laboucan-Massimo felt even more inspired to take action, saying in an interview with Mongabay, “Wow, I need to really start building: What does transition technology look like? What does a just transition look like in our communities? That’s why I founded Sacred Earth Solar, which began with my Master’s thesis…”

The creation and inspiration behind Sacred Earth Solar are why I find Laboucan-Massimo to be so inspiring personally. Sacred Earth Solar was born out of their Master’s degree thesis in Indigenous Governance, with a focus on energy which was completed at the University of Victoria. As part of her thesis, Laboucan-Massimo proposed building a solar-powered center in her hometown of Little Buffalo, in order to ensure just transition to green energy. This proposal was not without resistance, with Laboucan-Massimo recalling in an interview with Fashion Magazine, “One of my professors actually tried to dissuade me from doing it—he said ‘It’s too big of an undertaking, you’re not going to finish in time.’” Despite these concerns, Laboucan-Massimo decided to go ahead with the project due to her determination of creating a just transition for her community, as well as wanting to inspire others to do so. This was completed in 2015 and since then, the project has provided power to the community’s health center. This project, now known as the Piitapan Solar Project, involved the installation of 80 solar panels resulting in a 20.8kW renewable energy project – not only does this provide green energy, but also creates jobs in the community, and provides a template for other communities to follow. How inspiring is that? Despite even professors voicing their concerns, and having no experience directly in that field, Laboucan-Massimo followed through on her mission of creating a more sustainable future for her community.

After the establishment of this solar project, Laboucan-Massimo created the aforementioned Sacred Earth Solar. Sacred Earth Solar has now branched out to create projects outside of the Piitapan Solar Project in Little Buffalo. In all of its work, Sacred Earth Solar ensures that a just transition, as defined earlier in this article, can take place. According to their website, Sacred Earth Solar currently assists Indigenous communities in exploring renewable energy within the broader context of antiracist climate work, ensuring that these communities are given priority in keeping their communities safe and healthy. A just transition is one that Laboucan-Massimo is very passionate about, and in addition to setting up Sacred Earth Solar, also sits as the Senior Director of Just Transition at Indigenous Climate Action, an organization that aims to integrate Indigenous rights and knowledge into developing solutions for the climate crisis. Other initiatives by Sacred Earth Solar, and as a result Laboucan-Massimo, include the solarization of the art studio at Nimkii Aazhibikong with Onaman Collective in partnership with Indigenous Climate Action, which will serve as a centre for the language revitalization, transmission of indigenous knowledge, and communal space for Anishinaabek and surrounding Indigenous communities to have a communal space to share teachings. Another initiative included sending several sets of solar panels to Indigenous youth who were protesting at Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek. These solar panels were used to power the kitchen and charge devices so that they could have communication, but also record the police brutality that was on display. Laboucan-Massimo in addition to sending these panels also joined Indigenous leaders, environmental activists, and other celebrities in the condemnation of the logging at Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek. Sacred Earth Solar has continued to provide green energy for those fighting for climate justice by solarizing three homes at the Gidimt’en checkpoint in Wet’suwet’en Territory. This was done so that families could have access to their territory as the Gidimt’en checkpoint is directly in the path of the proposed Coastal Gas Link pipeline. Additionally, Sacred Earth Solar has been creating tiny homes that run off of solar energy to assist those protesting the Trans Mountain pipeline. These tiny homes are set up directly in the path of the pipeline, acting as both an act of resistance, but also a symbol of how green energy can be used for a just transition.

As you can see, Laboucan-Massimo’s Master’s thesis has grown a movement towards a just transition outside of her home community of Little Buffalo. Sacred Earth Solar may, in my opinion, be one of her most notable initiatives, however, Laboucan-Massimo has done much more than this. In addition to being the Director of Just Transition at Indigenous Climate Action, she was appointed as the first Indigenous research fellow at the David Suzuki Foundation where she has continued her research on Climate Change, Indigenous Knowledge, and Renewable Energy. In order to disseminate the message around green energy in Indigenous communities, Laboucan-Massimo created the Power to the People series. This series takes a look at the renewable energy revolution in Indigenous communities around Canada and the world, showcasing how a just transition may occur. This series found many different projects from wind farms, to solar plants, to tidal electric projects, and serves as a showcase for how other communities may become self-sufficient. Laboucan-Massimo has also worked alongside icons such as Jane Fonda, David Suzuki, and Naomi Klein to help build a better future for not only Indigenous people but the planet. She has also given many speeches which have inspired many, some of these including US Congress, the Harvard Law Forum, in British Parliament, and numerous international organizations like Amnesty International, allowing for her message of equitable climate justice to be heard around the world.

If you did a thesis, I implore you to think back to it. I can remember the thesis I completed in my undergraduate degree very well. Now, prior to this, have you thought about your thesis since completing it? Furthermore, has your thesis been of use? For some of you I’m sure that answer is yes, but for others like myself, not so much. It is of such great inspiration that Laboucan-Massimo took an issue that was so dear to her, and despite resistance from even her own professors, turned this thesis into a project that has since spiraled outwards, creating a movement. It is a great message of being the change you want to see, no matter how big the mountain you must climb is. Laboucan-Massimo could have stopped there, feeling that by improving her community she has done enough, but instead she has since campaigned to create a just transition to green energy for Indigenous people and communities around the world, and also acts as an example of how the entire world must act. It is for these reasons that Melina Laboucan-Massimo is an Every Day Eco-Hero.

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There are actions that individuals can take at the household level, such as planting native species in your garden or taking public transit. There are also actions that people can take at a collective level, such as organizing litter clean-ups. And then there are actions that people can take at a government scale, such as advocating for greener policies and voting for individuals who represent positive environmental and social change. All types of approaches are important and needed to address the slew of issues, but what happens when the laws and policies in a given area restrict certain sustainable actions at the household or individual scale? What if there are policies in place that perpetuate unsustainability? For these problems, the government scale is needed to make systemic changes. This starts with people who advocate for change to their local government as well as representatives of the people who translate their hopes into action and change. Our local politicians are these representatives who hold the power of listening to their community members, addressing their concerns, and implementing change to allow our individual and collective sustainable actions to continue.

This week’s hero for our Every Day Eco-Hero series is Shefaza Esmail, a researcher, teacher, nature-lover, and down-to-earth human who is passionate about making steps towards systemic change for the environment and for people. Through Shefaza’s studies in engineering and environmental studies, her PhD research experiences, and her teaching experiences, she has developed an understanding of the importance of politics and system-level change in the environmental movement. That is why she has decided to run for office in Waterloo as the Green Party candidate for the upcoming provincial election. This article shares Shefaza’s story of why she decided to take the path of politics to approach the systemic changes she wants to see happen in local communities, why she is an Earth Day hero, and what her hopes are for this election to work toward a sustainable and just future. 

Shefaza’s educational and environmental foundations

Born in Tanzania, Shefaza moved to Canada with her family in 2001. She started her undergrad at McGill University in the Arts and Science program. Her curiosity and enjoyment of learning fueled her studies and she realized she wanted to continue learning in a new area. She found a unique program called “bioresources engineering” in the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at McGill, based at their MacDonald campus.

Not long after joining this program at MacDonald Campus, she realized that she was part of a strong community. It was a smaller campus with smaller class sizes and the classes were taught by professors who really cared about their students. One professor who particularly inspired Shefaza was Dr. Robert Bonnell, who created fun assignments that got students excited about engineering. Shefaza remembers having to power something using only rubber bands or only a flame, and also making sumo robots that would battle each other. Learning in this hands-on and creative way fueled the way Shefaza decided to teach when she became a teacher later on.

Shefaza did her Master’s in Chemical Engineering and worked a bit as a Facilities Engineering Intern before moving on to do her PhD in the Environment Faculty at the University of Waterloo (UW). She felt very excited about environmental engineering, but realized that there was more to learn about the social sides of environmental problems.

“The issues at the environmental level cannot only be solved by engineering solutions. We need to look at the policy, the economics, the social aspects – the social aspect is a really big aspect and I didn’t have a lot of grasp on that, so I came back to Environment [the faculty at UW], but this time, I brought the engineering and wanted to learn the other parts. That’s why I chose this interdisciplinary department, the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (SERS).” 

From PhD researcher and teacher to politician

Shefaza’s PhD research focused on agriculture and food waste in Tanzania. She saw a lot of potential in Tanzania for a circular-based economy. Once beginning her research, she realized that Tanzania had a strong urban agriculture community of folks who did not want land to be idle but who wanted to give life to land and have that life sustain them and their communities. She noticed that lots of people were growing a variety of crops, but it was a volatile business given the fluctuating market prices and by-laws that restricted urban agricultural practices. She saw first-hand groups of people who were interested in doing sustainable, community-based projects for themselves, but there were laws that prevented them from doing those things and from being sustainable. 

During her PhD, Shefaza also got the opportunity to teach, which she continues doing at UW and loves. She has met many students who are eager to share great ideas and have strong interests in improving their understanding of the world. These students inspire her to show them new ways to see the world, for example, through field ecology courses that immerse students in nature.

“There is life that we can give to students connecting them back to nature, but also they are the ones who have these ideas of how we can make the world a better place. The systems we have are going to prevent that, similar to the folks who are trying to do urban agriculture in Tanzania.”

Through all her educational experiences and teaching, Shefaza learned that we need systemic change at the policy level. Then, she was approached by the Green Party twice. The second time, having finished her PhD and having had time to think about herself in the role of a politician, she decided that it was time to take that leap and run.

What made Shefaza say “yes” to politics?

When I asked her if she had ever imagined herself to be running for a political party 5 years ago or even 1 year ago, she quickly responded with the following: 

“I did not. I never imagined myself in politics because I found it all very confusing. I still remember grade ten civics learning about the first-past-the-post system and not understanding it, and I was a good student! I understood things very quickly.” 

Her confusion led her to feel turned off from politics in her early career.

“I wonder if other people feel the same way because it’s politics – it’s supposed to be decisions that affect our lives and I wonder what emotions that brings up in people. For me, the shame of not understanding led to guilt because I didn’t understand the first-past-the-post system and I also didn’t really understand the party system. I felt like I pushed away from that … Then, in university, Jack Layton was running for NDP and he made things accessible. I just remember understanding what he said and that made me feel like I had a chance at understanding what the politics were like here in Canada and that I could make a difference. After that, I lost interest again… but it came back when I was teaching … I learned a lot about it because I had to teach it.”

As Shefaza was teaching and learning, she was getting more involved in politics and getting to know the liberal, conservative, and NDP sides of issues but still didn’t really know much about the Green Party until she was approached to be a candidate. At this point, she learned about the Green Party’s values, federally and provincially, and found that they aligned very well with her own.

“I hadn’t really seen myself in a political point of view and I think that’s the problem with politics. We think that politics is about politics, but it isn’t. It’s supposed to be about people and I’ve always been a people person, and by translation, I could be a voice for people, which would make me a politician – a representative of the people.”

Shefaza’s vision for the future

“We can achieve a communal sense of being through sustainability. We just need to be able to envision what that looks like and that’s what politicians are supposed to do – to see where we are going, and to make decisions and set the roots for us to be able to get there. It isn’t about buying votes or a popularity contest or a tug-of-war, it’s supposed to be envisioning a future together.”

Shefaza has a vision of a better future for the people in Waterloo. Part of this vision stems from her time at MacDonald Campus during her undergrad at McGill University. MacDonald Campus was a “self-sustaining eco-hub”. It had a farm, a student-run composting initiative, and a student-run “happy belly” program where students would go to grocery stores on stocking days, take the food that would be thrown away, cook it all, and serve it for free to anyone on campus the next day. All of these initiatives brought people together and fostered a sense of community, creating an “in-built sustainability ethos”, which inspired Shefaza by showing her what life could look like – what a future could look like for other places.

“People want to have space to connect, to walk, have things to do, cook good food that is locally available and affordable … We can achieve a communal sense of being through sustainability. We just need to be able to envision what that looks like and that’s what politicians are supposed to do – to see where we are going, and to make decisions and set the roots for us to be able to get there. It isn’t about buying votes or a popularity contest or a tug-of-war, it’s supposed to be envisioning a future together. And we trust our politicians to do this for us, which is why we vote for them to make those decisions on our behalf. But that is not happening and it needs to happen.”

Politics is not just for the politicians

As I prepared for this interview with Shefaza, I reflected on my own limited knowledge of politics in Canada. My only formal political education came from grade ten civics class, which I didn’t enjoy and don’t remember much from. In my university studies, I began to learn a bit more about the importance of politics in a more indirect way and I am now just beginning to understand our political system and what it means to me as an individual. When I shared this with Shefaza, she said the following:

“Every decision that a politician makes has an impact, not just on you, but on your family, friends, neighbours – everyone.”

“It’s interesting that you bring up grade ten civics because it is the power of a teacher to either teach you well or turn you off completely, and even if they do teach you well, the system is still very confusing and there’s a chance you may turn it off anyway … But it’s funny because schools have student associations and you vote for someone to be your representative in those, so even though you’re not learning about politics in a structured way, you’re actually taking part in politics in high school and university.”

There are still many people, not only young people, who don’t fully grasp the importance of politics, likely because if our grade ten civics class does not teach us this importance, we have to find these lessons elsewhere, but some people may not find themselves in places where those lessons are taught. So, I asked Shefaza what she would say to someone who doesn’t fully understand why politics is important for them.

“Politics makes the decisions for your everyday life. They decide where money that you are giving as a tax-payer will be spent … From your income, there is a portion of it that goes to the government … It’s important to think ‘where is my money going once I don’t get it?’ First, your money is going to a government body that you are entrusting to spend well. If they end up going on a shopping spree with your money, will you feel good about it? Probably not. Although, it depends what they buy … Every decision that a politician makes has an impact, not just on you, but on your family, friends, neighbours – everyone.”

Eco-anxiety, youth, and politics

Shefaza is passionate about getting young people involved in politics as well as teaching youth the importance of connecting with nature. Having done several partnerships and Earth Day events with the Waterloo and Kitchener public libraries as well as the City of Waterloo Museum, she has been able to connect with several groups of youth in the region to teach them about nature and spark their curiosity.

“It’s really important to get the youth involved and not just the ones who can vote. It’s important for youth to be informed of the values of the people who are representing them or who want to represent them, and see what they stand for and make that informed decision at the polls. It’s time we voted from our hearts.”

Considering the importance of youth getting involved in politics and how youth are being severely impacted by eco-anxiety, I asked Shefaza what she had to say on these topics.

“With climate change, there is a potential for apathy and there is a potential for empathy, but it really depends on whether or not you’re acknowledging how you’re feeling with every piece of news that comes. And that is the first step to understanding what you can actually do about it.”

“When talking about the environmental movement to youth, it’s a bit like learning from them rather than telling them about it because they are living it. We’re seeing news of more natural disasters, fires, droughts – in places there didn’t necessarily used to be. And it’s not just a current effect but will be a future effect. I think the youth are already acutely aware of that. So, I wouldn’t say that there is anything I could tell them about the environmental movement except one thing: really understand how it’s impacting your emotions. In the way we live right now, emotions aren’t talked about as freely as opinions, and opinions are very much based on emotions … With climate change, there is a potential for apathy and there is a potential for empathy, but it really depends on whether or not you’re acknowledging how you’re feeling with every piece of news that comes. And that is the first step to understanding what you can actually do about it.”

One of the courses that Shefaza has taught at UW was on climate change and films. With each film, Shefaza had the students reflect on their feelings and thoughts as they watched. From conducting a research study in tandem with teaching the course, Shefaza learned that the students feel and think a lot about climate change. This experience really reiterated for her the power of a teacher to be able to guide students through their feelings.

“It is important to acknowledge the times that we are making them sad and help them through that, and it is important to acknowledge the times when they are inspired to show them how they can channel that inspiration into action.”

“We need to be able to support them on this journey as they are feeling things related to climate change, especially as we’re teaching them about climate change. It is important to acknowledge the times that we are making them sad and help them through that, and it is important to acknowledge the times when they are inspired to show them how they can channel that inspiration into action … Creating that support network for students is really important as we start talking more about climate change, not just in the Faculty of Environment, but in all Faculties.”

And this is why Shefaza is an eco-hero. Not only is she actively pursuing positive environmental change at the policy level, but she also aims to guide, inspire, and teach youth about environmental change and help them through eco-anxiety. Shefaza has explored environmental solutions in many spaces through the diversity of educational and professional experiences she has accumulated. The political space is her next challenge, which she is approaching with compassion, curiosity, and commitment. I can’t wait to see how she uses this political platform to share her visions for a sustainable and just future, especially around Earth Day. I hope to see many more people like her – people who see unsustainable, inequitable systems that need improvement and feel driven to change them – taking that leap and running for office in the coming years.

Note: Alternatives Journal chose the eco-hero to spotlight. Earth Day Canada is affiliated with the series, but is not a political organization and does not endorse the Green Party in this piece.

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The Nature Force is of extreme importance as according to the Insurance Institute of Canada’s (IIC) 2020 report, the average cost of claims associated with extreme weather is expected to rise by 138% annually, growing up to $5 billion. As you can see, this is an issue that must be addressed now, and that’s what The Nature Force intends to do. As mentioned, this will be done through increasing natural infrastructure through the conservation and restoration of the wetlands that help attenuate flood risk.

Source: The Nature Force

I was provided the opportunity to speak to Mark Gloutney, national director of science for Ducks Unlimited Canada about this project and had a great conversation about it. When asked how this initiative was started, Mark said that this industry-first initiative came about as a result of Ducks Unlimited Canada realising the opportunities that a partnership between themselves and insurance companies would bring. They recognised that there should be a linkage between the insurance industry and the work they do due to the flood attenuating impacts of Ducks Unlimited and because the risk of flood loss and damage is only going to increase in the years to come. This resulted in conversations between Ducks Unlimited Canada, and Tina Osen, President of HUB Canada. Mark stated that Tina was extremely instrumental in the success of planning and organising this project. Tina realised that this project could be catalytic in its nature, and set out on gathering other insurance industry players. They realised that this is a way to do something that would help demonstrate how natural solutions and infrastructure can be part of the solution to climate change, and as a result, 15 insurance companies are now partnered with The Nature Force. Mark said that what’s especially great about this is that Ducks Unlimited Canada will be forming an advisory, or oversight committee with key representatives from HUB to ensure that the vision of The Nature Force stays on track and that there’s good dialogue, traction, messaging and vision between the insurance sector and Ducks Unlimited Canada.

Moving on, I had a few questions for Mark surrounding the planning and execution of this project. Mark went on to elaborate that they would be setting up three pilot projects. One in Ontario, one in Quebec, and one in the Fraser Delta in British Columbia. These projects will demonstrate that natural infrastructure is part of the solution, and allow them to build models which will help understand what features in a particular watershed will have the most consequence for flood attenuation and climate resilience. The plan is that once these are identified, Ducks Unlimited Canada will come in and complete restoration work on these sites. Once completed, they can take the results to the government, policymakers, and municipal planners so that this knowledge can be integrated into future land use planning decisions. This information can then also be shared with other conservation authorities to demonstrate how natural infrastructure can be integrated. Importantly he noted, once this is done it won’t be solely on the insurance industry to pay for the investment, but society as a whole, as all levels of society will recognise this as a solution, over time increasing investments and increasing climate resiliency across the Canadian landscape.

Now that I understood how the project would work, I was curious about any case studies, or examples that were worked on while preparing. Mark explained that Ducks Unlimited Canada had done a lot of modeling in Ontario that looked at the capacity of wetlands in terms of their ability to store water and function on the landscape like a sponge. He then goes on to outline that they had done quite a bit of work with Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. With Dr. Feltmate’s, help they modeled the Credit river in Toronto, observing what would happen in two different storm events with differing instances of wetland environments, and seeing how the flood level changed with these variables. Dr. Feltmate and the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation have access to economic consequence information, and with their help, it was possible to show the economic consequences of these differing flood events. This was formative in their research because it was clear that as you modelled the loss of the wetlands on that watershed you saw property value loss increasing dramatically for both storm events. This was completed about three years ago and the team in Ontario has been working with these results to create The Nature Force. 

The Nature Force begins its planning stage this April 2022, as such, I asked Mark if there are any timelines in place for this project. He stated that the initial stages starting in April will be a period of planning where watersheds to be modelled will be chosen, conservation and planning partners will be assembled, and then a model will be built that states the four or five restoration solutions that will have the biggest impact in reducing the floods. This will take a little while and it is expected that they will be doing restoration in Ontario and Quebec by around next spring. He goes on to say that the Fraser Delta may take a little longer due to the complexity of the landscape it is situated on. This complexity is due both to land interest, as well as the topography of the land and proximity to the ocean of the delta, which results in differing conditions to those found in Ontario or Quebec. 

Understanding how the project was planned to take place, I was curious about any challenges that The Nature Force has faced, or anticipate in the future, and how they planned on dealing with these. Mark outlined that one of the main issues anticipated is surrounding land ownership. In an ideal scenario, you can find a watershed with the right assembly of partners to make conservation easy, however, this is often not the case. Instances of conservation efforts on agricultural land require models to show what is gained and lost for society through this conservation. Private land ownership is always tricky as well as this is of course, on private property – in these cases the landowners are negotiated with to try to suit the needs of the landowner, as well as the needs of society by attenuating flood risk. Another challenge is associated with the regulatory environment which is always rather uncertain, and there are always elements that cannot be anticipated. Another challenge that was of interest was whether or not species at risk are situated in these areas. Due to the regulatory environment, these species are protected on an individual basis, rather than looking at the population. This means that while a project may be beneficial to the species in the long term if an individual, or individuals in the area are impacted by the project, it may need to be adjusted to suit this regulatory environment. 

As evidenced through the resources provided on The Nature Force website, as well as the conversation with Mark Gloutney, it is clear that this project is of extreme importance, and also being set up well for success. Hopefully, this project will indeed be catalytic in its nature and spark more conversations and projects around climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially through the use of natural infrastructure and wetland conservation. With the planning stage under-way as of this April, I look forward to seeing the projects begin next spring and share the same excitement as Mark and The Nature Force in seeing the results from these projects turned into positive, climate change mitigating action over the coming years.

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The First Earth Day Rally, credit Earthday.org

Fast forward twenty years and Earth Day had finally gone global. This coincided with the creation of Earth Day the organization in France and Canada, leading to the creation of Earth Day Canada (Jour de la Terre Canada). Since 1995, Quebec has celebrated Earth Day by hosting environmental awareness activities and rallies, and has continued to grow due to their ability to mobilise numerous stakeholders. During the 90s, the importance of Earth Day had grown so much that US President Bill Clinton awarded Senator Gaylord Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honour given to civilians in the US, due to his role in the establishment of Earth Day. 

Earth Day has been able to remain successful due to its readiness to evolve with the times. This was seen in Earth Day 2000 where the now widely established internet was used to reach out to over 5000 environmental groups in 184 countries. The message that year was clear, citizens demanded fast action on climate change. There were of course challenges along the way. In the 2010s, Earth Day and climate change activists were met with an influx of climate deniers, rich oil lobbyists, and a public that was slipping into cynical views of environmental change. Despite these challenges, Earth Day and earthday.org were able to prevail, and continue to establish themselves as global environmental movements. 

Now, Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by over 1 billion people each year as a day to create local, and global environmental change. By adopting digital strategies and using the power of social media, Earth Day has been able to continue to grow and mobilise citizens around the world. Even in the face of a global pandemic, Earth Day was able to shift its celebrations to digitally uplift the voice of concerned environmentalists all across the globe. 

This year, we are very excited to be creating a series in collaboration with Earth Day Canada, as we prepare to celebrate this April 22nd. This series will be titled “Every Day Eco Heroes” and will celebrate the efforts of environmentalists both locally and globally by shining a spotlight on their actions. By doing so, we hope to inspire all of you to treat every day like it is Earth Day, and be the best eco-heroes we can be. This main series will be posted every Friday, starting next week on April 8. Apart from this main series, we also have a few fun, more informal articles which will be released every Monday. These posts will include environmental tips and ways that we can all show Earth a little more love. 

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We were determined to see academics, journalists, and popular publishers expose the enormous externalized costs of the metals extracted in this country to workers, indigenous peoples, the ecosystem and communities – to see that this is an industry that makes its profits from terrible and often permanent loss.

Mining Country is an exciting fulfilment of this hope. The book is a large-format, popularly-written history full of stunning archival photos and well-researched, clear examples of mining conflicts and impacts. The story it tells shows the costs.

The book opens with a description of the Indigenous mining in Canada which preceded colonialism, followed by the march of colonial extraction across the country, including stories of coal and iron deposits in the Maritimes. We hear vivid descriptions of the Marmora/Hastings County, Fraser-Cariboo, and Klondike gold rushes, their impacts on the First Nations they dispossessed and impoverished, and of the miserable (and often short) lives of the miners. 

Throughout the book, the authors tie the history of Canadian mining to global trends and events: massive industrialization from 1880 onwards, the Second World War, the post-war construction boom, and neo-liberal globalization. It ends with reflections on the new “green infrastructure” demands for more metals.

The astonishing growth of mining towns like Sudbury, Noranda, Trail, and Cobalt are explained, including the huge price paid by the miners who were maimed and often killed in large numbers. The contaminants spewed by the smelters poisoned land for miles around. The communities where the miners lived were badly planned, poorly constructed, and unhealthy, sometimes leading to typhoid epidemics. 

Unions were fought for and eventually won, and some of these struggles are told in detail.

Stories about Yellowknife’s Giant mine, the Westray disaster of 1992, the Asbestos strike of 1949, and the Pine Point mine draw us into seeing the consequences of an unimaginable lack of government oversight coupled with enormous government subsidy. The history of uranium mines in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories is compelling. 

The book ends with a discussion of the long-term, often perpetual, impacts of mining on the environment and on all of us, and a call to decide if “the endless growth of mineral extraction can be maintained into the future.”

As someone who has spent most of my life living in Sudbury and studying the Canadian mining industry, I found I was a bit jealous of the resources that Keeling and Sandlos have at their disposal – many skilled and enthusiastic graduate students, and sizeable research grants. At the same time, these student researchers are barely acknowledged in the book. 

We have no idea who dug up the information that the authors put forward. For example, Mick Lowe wrote a very thorough book on the discovery of Voisey’s Bay which is not even mentioned in the text, although it is in the bibliography. The publisher and the authors appear to have decided to limit the use of references and of a useful index in order to make the book more accessible to the public. For those of us who would like to know where the information came from or to follow up on the stories, this can be frustrating.

This is also a book written by men about men. The endless hours of labour that Indigenous women, miners’ wives, and female community organizers put in to deal with the social, economic, environmental, and health impacts of mining are not even mentioned. The only woman who gets any real attention in the book is the infamous Peggy Witte (now calling herself Margaret Kent), the last owner of the Giant mine. A women’s history of mining in Canada remains to be written, but a good place to start would be Meg Luxton’s excellent study, More Than a Labour of Love, written in 1980. 

The book similarly pays little attention approach to the endless work – both paid and unpaid – done by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to strategize and protect their communities and ecosystems from the mining industry in this country.

In the same vein, I also have to confess to really wincing at the number of times the authors talk about the regreening of 3450 hectares in Sudbury, but fail to mention that the area is considerably smaller than the growing and toxic tailings impoundments that loom over the region and will require care in perpetuity.

Despite these limitations, this is an important and very readable book. It is well-researched and reliable. The photos are stunning. Its excellent labour history will appeal to miners and their communities. The devastating impacts on indigenous people is a story that needed to be told. It does indeed “provide a mining history for all Canadians.”

The post Book Review: Mining Country: A History of Canada’s Mines and Miners appeared first on A\J.

As you and I wrestle with the thousands of little ways that we can improve our pro-environment actions, it can be VERY frustrating when the powers-that-be seem to be using that power to be doing the exact opposite of what we’d like them to do. But who are these ‘powers’ – and how do I get me some!? 

“If I was King of the Forest…..” sang the Cowardly Lion on the road to Oz. Well, if I was King of this forested land called Canada, I know that I would take legislative steps on a myriad number of issues near and dear to me and my vision for a greener, healthier tomorrow. What kind of steps, you ask? Well, don’t mind if I do!

I’d take steps to reduce our carbon footprint and increase our caring footprint. I’d take steps to ensure that we have less oil pipelines siphoning the last of the dead dinosaur juice from our sacred grounds – and I’d sure as heck have more freshwater pipelines bringing aqua-vitae to the First Nations communities across the North who have to live without water all too frequently. I’d take steps to ensure that those most impacted, most vulnerable, to the growing pain of the climate emergency are given more voice in the decision-finding and decision-making, and that we, as a country, measure ourselves to a higher standard of living within the means of Nature.

But, truth be told, I really don’t know that much about politics, or the inner workings of the system. I’ve voted most of my life and have occasionally dabbled by assisting a friend with a campaign – but it has never gone beyond that. And it’s not as if I’m not an opinionated SOB who may be guilty of an over-fondness for the sound of his own voice. But despite my lived experiences as a white male of acceptable means, I remain intimidated and afraid to break through my barriers in pursuit of something that has always percolated in my mind.

Thankfully, some friends shared with me a link to the FLIP 2.0 summit – and it was like flipping a switch in my mind as I pivoted from “I can not” to “why the heck not”. I will be spending my Saturday learning from those in the know, those who’ve walked paths that I seek to explore. I will listen and I will learn from people of all backgrounds as they share their wisdom for summoning the courage to be king or queen of a forever-forested land.

I may never be a powers-that-be but, by the end of day Saturday, I’m pretty certain that I’ll understand that power and how best to work together with my friends and peers to affect positive change on a local, provincial and federal level. And that’s a pretty powerful way to spend the day.

The post FLIP the Script appeared first on A\J.

Whether you would classify yourself as a political person or not, there is no denying that political change is an essential piece of the puzzle for environmental change. If you’re interested in making positive environmental changes, it is critical to learn about and/or contribute to how politics can be used as an effective method of change. But no one has to do this alone. GreenPAC is a Canadian non-profit, non-partisan organization that focuses their efforts on enhancing environmental decision-making, building environmental leaders, and creating spaces for the public and for future environmental leaders to contribute to these causes. 

This year, GreenPAC is hosting their second annual FLIP Summit (Future Leaders in Politics) – on Saturday, January 22nd. The FLIP Summit is an all-day event that presents a diversity of speakers, presentations, networking opportunities, and participatory sessions with the theme of breaking barriers for environmental political change. This event is a great opportunity to learn about Canadian politics and its essential tie to environmental advocacy as well as hear from local politicians, interact with other like-minded people, ask questions, and learn how to get involved. 

“This year’s theme is breaking political barriers for environmental progress. We chose this theme because there are many barriers that still exist for environmental change-makers to enter or engage in politics, and we believe focusing on those barriers will make the conversations more fruitful and impactful.” -Coco Wang, GreenPAC’s 2022 Summit Director

The FLIP Summit is not only for those who know about politics or have an interest in running for office. This event is for everyone. It’s for citizens. It’s for youth whose voices need to be amplified and empowered. It’s for older folks who may not know how to break out of the red and blue dichotomy that has been entrenched in our minds (and that environmental change can happen in any party). It’s for people who love politics, want to get involved with and inspired by current politicians, and aspire to be an environmental leader. It’s also for people who don’t know what politics has to do with environmentalism but want to learn. The point here is that this event is for anyone of any age or experience-level, looking to get involved, network, or just simply learn how the system of politics can work to enhance and increase positive environmental change. 

“Every year, we encounter countless people who recognize that there is a disconnect between the kind of change they want in the world, and the progress that’s actually happening. Politics is the missing piece, especially environmental leadership in politics. It doesn’t matter what issue you care about, it doesn’t matter where or how you want to make a difference, politics is there. We may not like that, but we need to engage with politics so we know how to navigate it, how to shape it, and where necessary, how to change it completely.” -Brittany Stares, GreenPAC’s 2021 Summit Director

It is especially critical that youth feel invited to this event – and more broadly, to conversations about environmental politics – because the future of our world is the future of our youth. The next generation of decision makers need to be heard today and every day looking forward, especially when talking about long-term sustainability. We have a world of passionate youth who want to improve the world in whatever ways they can, and GreenPAC is an organization that is working to uplift those voices, and facilitate knowledge sharing, mentoring, and inspiration between current and future politicians.

“Research has shown that young people are the most engaging demographic in taking advocacy actions like signing petitions and raising awareness on issues, particularly climate change and other environmental issues. But the reality is that young people also have the lowest rate of voting in elections and have little political knowledge in general. To transform the energy and will for change, understanding and entering formal politics is crucial for our generation to push for the real changes we need.” -Coco Wang, GreenPAC’s 2022 Summit Director

Check out more details about the event, including the agenda and speakers, here: https://bit.ly/GPflip2022 

Registration is open until 1:00 PM (EST) on Friday, January 21st, so be sure to get your ticket now and be prepared to be empowered this weekend. Never underestimate the power of a speaker, a conversation, an idea – those things can spark movements, and this event is THE place for sparks to fly. We’ll see you there!

The post Breaking Barriers with GreenPAC appeared first on A\J.

What is the main reason for this decline and rapid movement towards the extinction of the Right Whale? The answer is simple, fishing lines. However, a solution is not as straightforward, as it is shrouded in the interests of many different people who must collectively determine the fate of these animals–whether it be extinction or restoration. 

This is explored in the new documentary Entangled directed by David Abel, a reporter at the Boston Globe and a previous Pulitzer-prize winner. The movie will “dive deep” into the history and current status of the North Atlantic right whale, a species on the brink of extinction. It will also explore the collision between fisheries (particularly the North American lobster industry), environmental activists, and American and Canadian governmental institutions in the save the whales movement. 

We were able to speak with David Abel about the upcoming film and its purpose.

“I think the film has already raised awareness about the threat to North Atlantic Right Whales and the impact we, as human beings are having on them. Particularly, the threat of entanglements.” He stated. 

Abel added that this film is already the motivating factor for many conservation efforts, such as the release of a biological opinion on the status of right whales by the U.S. federal government. Additionally, Abel thought it important that this film, in pressing for the protection of this whale species, also gave everyone (regardless of their position in the save the whales movement) a chance to speak on the issue.

“My goal was to present, in as much nuance as possible, the different points of view on each side of the debate. There are just so many different perspectives.”

This debate, Abel added was complex as it divided the central groups amongst themselves; there are pro-whale and anti-whale fishers, conservations who want to ban all fishing lines and those who believe that some should remain for the fishing industry, and politicians who land on either side of the movement to save the right whales. 

“My hope is by portraying the conflicts in as human terms as possible, with as many facts as possible, with empathy for all the different sides, that there will be a recognition that we need to balance these important interests to reach an actual resolution on saving the whales,” Abel stated.

Abel explained that the North Atlantic right whale has seen its population collapse by over 25% in a decade, because of human activity, and something must be done to stop this. He wanted the film to allow everyone (including the industry) to understand that this is not a “fictitious threat”. However, Abel also wanted to detail how important the lobster fishery business was to many people and to the economy. And how this was being impacted by climate change, such that fishing was chasing lobsters deeper into cooler parts of the ocean and colliding with the whale populations. 

Of course, the film’s focus was also to showcase the brutality of the right whale’s extinction and, as Abel stated, “did not sanitize” the vicious way in which these animals died. Tied up in fishing lines that cut deep, drowning from them, and finally washed up on the shore. There was no way to ignore the fact that these deaths were happening and the documentary wanted audiences to be incumbent of that information. And hopefully, these audiences might take the emotions felt by watching these mortalities to act in saving these magnificent animals. Abel added,

“The UN actually estimated that by the end of this century, we are likely to lose as many as a million species. I was blown away by that statistic…how do you even begin to convey something like that? I thought if you could tell the story of one species in this large that people could empathize with, that would be the story of the right whale.” 

Abel concluded the conversation with one of his favorite lines from the documentary,

“If you can’t save a great whale from extinction, what can you save?” 

———-

The film Entangled will be released in select Canadian markets on June 18, 2021, and will expand nationally on July 2, 2021, in collaboration with the Sherry Media Group. This film will be launched as the premiere of the second season in the IMPACT SERIES–an original film and speaker series focused on educating and connecting consumers to take action in solving social and environmental issues.

Keep a lookout on the below social media platforms so that you can be the first to watch Entangled and the other incredible films in the Impact series! 

Connect to The Impact Series:

Facebook: The Impact Series 

Twitter: @iACTseries 

Instagram: @TheImpactSeries

The post The Battle for Right Whales – Watch Entangled in Season 2 of The Impact Series appeared first on A\J.

The effects of climate change are beginning to emerge through constant changing temperatures, water supply fluctuations, and increased average global temperatures. It can be felt all around the world in little ways.

In Toretsk, Ukraine, a local coal mine supplying 67 000 workers is on the road to catastrophe. Not because of the effect of coal being used in the industrial sector, rather  it has more to do with how they begin to harvest the coal from the deep bedrock in the ground.

 Abandoned mines, that are now harvested to their capacity, are being filled with toxic groundwater filled consisting of heavy metals and external pollutants. Because they are located stories underground it is close to groundwater aquifers. This puts freshwater resources at harm’s way for the tens of thousands of workers living in the area.  The toxic water can contaminate the ground by seeping into the soil which will then make the area unusable for farming and agriculture. If the water leaked by accident, it would migrate down the Kryvyi Torets and the Siverskyi Donets river where the whole area receives drinking water. On top of unavailable water, methane gas is being released to the surface that has the ability to cause earthquakes that are a  9.0 magnitude on the seismic scale and explosions on the surface that is surrounded by broken up bedrock.

According to the head of the Toretsk’s Civil Military Administration, Vasyl Chynchyk, only two of the mines are still in operation and the rest are abandoned. Their only solution is to remove the water and put it in safe containers away from freshwater resources.

“You can’t just close a mine and forget about it, because the risks are too high,” said Yevhen Yakovlev, a hydrogeologist who works at the natural resources department of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. “Mine waters will rise, pollute the drinking water and destroy the soil.”

Due to the constant war in Donbas’ no investments will be made to have better solutions. There is too much raised tension.Moreover, the solutions in place are not effective enough for the coal mines to continue to be in operation.

“According to our measurements of the water levels in the region, the pumping stations there [in occupied parts of the Donbas] are out of order,” said Viktor Yermakov, an environmental scientist, and a member of the Trilateral Contact Group.

Although the disaster may not be immediate, it will happen in the next 5 to 10 years. The effects are already being seen by experts in the field, and not giving the public enough information to make informed decisions to where their liability aligns.The first sign was the closing of an abandoned mine, and now it’s time to sign up to make serious changes to mitigate fossil fuel effects. 

A Fish Species Has Evolved Due to Climate Change

Source: McGill University

A species of fish has been shown to adapt its genetic traits due to seasonal shifts caused by climate change. This week, a team of lead scientists at  McGill University discussed their findings on the adaptation of the threespine stickleback fish due to persistent “climatic changes” observed over a period of time.

The research group suggested that specific genetic adaptations being more frequent in populations, were directly related to natural selection—described as the process in which populations of organisms randomly change (genetically or otherwise) to be more or less advantageous overtime. In which those adaptations that are more favourable to the environment will survive the longest, while the other traits will likely die out.

In the case of this species, natural selection pertaining to adaptation in response to temperature change was observed. Specifically, only individuals which had genome sequencing that aided in the construction of different habitats during (unprecedented) wet winters and dry summers, were able to survive into the next season. The scientists believed that such habitat shifts similarly occurred 10 000 years ago, when the species first arrived in California due to alternative temporal conditions.

Experts at the university suggest that such rapid genetic changes speaks to how rapidly natural selection is occurring in the present. Moreover, it is a significant case in understanding how nature might adapt to changing environmental metrics caused by climate change.

Ford Government faces Lawsuit over changes to Ontario Environmental Assessment, Bill 197

Source: London Free Press

Bill 197  was passed last July in Ontario as part of the Covid Recovery Act. Included in the bill were sweeping changes to the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) aimed at shortening the Environmental Assessment (EA) process and getting rid of “red tape”. These changes were the first major changes to the Ontario EAA in over 30 years. 

Environmentalists, however, have questioned the legality of the changes. This week environmental groups and various first nations groups will be in court challenging the Ford government’s changes to the Ontario EAA. The 2 major issues environmentalists have raised are that the government did not have the authority to cancel public consultations on the changes to the EAA and that the fast tracked EAA process will have detrimental environmental effects. 

One argument made this week was by Canadian Environmental Law Association Lawyer (CELA) Castrilli. Castrilli is contesting the government claim that the bill was urgent and is in violation of the Ontario Environment Bill of Rights. The Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights gives an ordinance that the Government must consult the public for 30 days for human changes to the environment.  During the COVID-19 pandemic the government suspended several environmental protection rules but lifted them a month before introducing the bill. The government passed the bill arguing that it was too “urgent” to wait for a full consultation due to COVID-19. Castriilli argues that the government still has to follow the rules, even during a pandemic. 

Also according to Castrilli, the bill will have earth shattering impacts on the environment. Bill 197 expanded the controversial practice of minister zoning orders (MZO’s). 

The court will hear arguments later this week from First Nations groups: the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, Attawapiskat First Nation, Chapleau Cree First Nation, Eagle Lake First Nation, Fort Albany First Nation, Magnetawan First Nation, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Temagami First Nation and the Teme-Augama Anishnabai community. 

The outcome of the court hearing will be monitored closely and the outcome will have substantial effect on environmental issues in Ontario and Canada more broadly. 

International Energy Agency Report: Fossil Fuel Investment Must End Now

Source: CBC News

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report Tuesday that stated fossil fuel investments must be stopped for global climate goals to be met by 2050. The International Energy Agency is the most authoritative energy group in the world. This global climate goal is in line with several countries including Canada and the U.S goal to reach net zero emissions energy sector. 

The report outlines over 400 steps on how to achieve a net zero global energy sector by 2050. Examples may include an increased investment in solar and wind power by 2030.  It has been understood that the end to investing in fossil fuels are the key steps to reaching a net zero global energy sector. Another key takeaway from the report is that no internal combustion vehicles should be sold after 2035 to meet these goals. 

The report outlines how transforming the energy sector would bring tremendous economic benefits and create millions of new jobs. The investment in renewable energy would most importantly eventually have lower energy costs and prevent a “climate catastrophe” according to Greenpeace activist Keith Stewart.

However, there has been push back to the report from groups in the Canadian energy sector. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) labeled the report as “unrealistic”. The director of the CAPP Tim McMillan stated that solutions need to be “grounded in the real world”. 

Despite countries’ ambitious and bold goals for greenhouse gas reductions, emissions are expected to grow in the near future. Current demand for fossil fuels is predicted to increase over the next few years. The IEA stated that 2021 will have the second-largest annual increase in emissions since 2010. Some have argued that what the IEA says should be done like in the second largest producing country of North America.  a

If countries like Canada are to meet their bold climate change targets, emissions for 2021 and 2022 must be reduced drastically. The changes outlined by the IEA should be taken into consideration and implemented immediately for the targets to be met. Actions always speak louder than words.

A Sustainable Look at Cryptocurrencies

Source: CNBC

As a young individual getting into the working world, I am being encouraged to invest and “let my money work for me, …to build your wealth, you should invest your money.” Investing provides an avenue for one to expend money in such a way that there is potential to earn strong rates of return. I am very new to the investment world and have spent the last few months researching and subscribing to newsletters on why I should invest, what I should invest in, and how to invest. 

 This week, investment platforms have been buzzing over cryptocurrency- a digital or virtual asset based on a network that is distributed across many computers. This comes after Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, said he wouldn’t use or accept Bitcoin until he is sure it’s produced sustainably as he was “concerned about the rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions.” Bitcoin has been receiving a lot of attention on its negative environmental impacts, and some of its investors have been reapportioning their digital assets to more sustainable investments; even though attempts have been made to reduce Bitcoin’s impact. 

 Mining cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, requires a lot of electricity to keep the computers running as well as air conditioning needed to prevent them from overheating. Bitcoin mining is performed by high-powered computers that solve complex computational puzzles. This process of solving problems, referred to as “Proof of Work”,  is necessary to maintain the ledger of transactions and verifies the legitimacy of Bitcoin transactions, and thus, a lot of processing power to produce one single token. As a result, this process consumes a lot of energy. 

Research has shown that in 2019, Bitcoin was responsible for approximately 22-22.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The journal Nature suggests that emissions from Bitcoin mining alone could increase global warming by 2 degrees before 2050. For a better visual, emissions from Bitcoin are comparable to the total emissions from cities such as Hamburg or Las Vegas.  

Musk has suggested that the company will move towards a more sustainable cryptocurrency, Dogecoin. Dogecoin, although a more sustainable option than Bitcoin, does have its pitfalls as well. 

 There are over 4500 mineable coins and tokens in the cryptocurrency world, with a variety of parameters. This makes it difficult to highlight which currency is greener than the other. However, there are cryptocurrencies that are inherently more energy efficient than Bitcoin and Dogecoin. These cryptocurrencies use a “Proof of Storage” (or “Proof of Stake”) systems that use significantly less energy, and in some cases currencies that use a “block lattice” technology that does not require any mining. 

So, if you are a new or experienced investor consider allocating your assets in sustainable investments as well as eco-friendly cryptocurrencies that you (may) hold. Do your research and if you are not sure where to start, there are a plethora of blogs out there that list the most eco-friendly cryptocurrencies. Good luck with your sustainable investment adventures! 

The post The Week This Friday Vol. 49 appeared first on A\J.

During the Cold War Russia had created a base called the Nagurskoye airbase that included a weather station and a communications outpost in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. Originally, the runway could only handle planes that would be equivalent to the B-52 American airplane. The air base has now been expanded to include icebreaking submarine nuclear missile bombers called the Delta IV. It can have up to 12.8 megatons of nuclear firepower with only 4 missiles. Russia also possesses almost 40 icebreakers with more on the way, making it the largest fleet of icebreakers in the world.

Although this military base is the main threat to Canadian and other Western countries, Russia’s goal is to discover the untapped natural resources and new shipping routes that are being uncovered from the melting snow. According to Administrator Alexander Moiseyev, chief of Russia’s Northern Fleet,

“The complex ice conditions make it necessary to organize safe shipping, so Russia insists on a special regime of its use.”

 Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited estimates that put the value of Arctic mineral riches at $30 trillion. This is part of the first plan for Russia’s climate change mitigation in terms of lowering the threat of climate change to their country. Russia’s two-year plan to mitigate climate change has also written that there are positives to climate change, and finding the untapped reserves in the Arctic is one of them.

This has been the most activity the North Arctic has experienced and has caught the world’s attention. With Russia’s high military presence, it would be difficult for other countries to be active without conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it “increases the dangers of accidents and miscalculations and undermines the shared goal of a peaceful and sustainable future for the region. So, we have to be vigilant about that.”

Russia views the Northern Sea Route (NSR), as a domestic passageway, while other countries see it as an international passageway. Blinken has also made it clear to the Arctic Council that it is warming 2.5 times as fast as the rest of the world. According to predictions, the Arctic is assumed to be completely ice-free by 2050. The Arctic is responsible for regulating the climate for the rest of the world and absorbing dangerous UV rays the sun emits.

With current testing of the nuclear missiles Russia carries, it can have an impact on the environment if ever launched. Nuclear bombs decimate anything that is within the radius of the missile’s potential. Effects from fallout can include future genetic mutations. In this case, to be surrounded by water may have a greater impact when Russia is testing in the Arctic to the eggs and larvae of marine organisms.  The fallout can cause immense darkness [to the area] and cause plant death-causing starvation up the food chain. The Arctic already has a scheduled lack of daylight annually, and it could be made worse if the activity continues.

Authors of an article published in “The Atomic Scientist, further speculate even small-scale use of nuclear warheads could deplete the ozone layer, shorten the growing season, increase temperature, and hasten the effects of global warming.

However, despite these warnings, it seems that Russia is on a steadfast mission for economic growth regardless of the environmental costs. Though it is important to note that it is not alone in doing so and many other countries are also in the process of developing in the Arctic, including Canada. 

This story is not new in the current era of development, although there is one difference. This time people are noticing and cautioning against such a move if anything to protect a testament of time. The Arctic, stubborn, beautiful, cold, and, with hope, untouchable even by the hands of cruel progress. 

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